The District of Muskoka is responsible for the care and maintenance of 37 active and closed waste sites across the municipality. On January 1, 1996, all waste management powers were transferred to the District as several Area Municipalities had either faced or were about to face a waste disposal crisis. On June 16, 2014, the District assumed ownership and responsibility of all municipally-owned closed waste disposal sites within the District.
The District is committed to preventing and addressing impacts from historic waste sites. Environmental monitoring and remediation projects represent an important on-going commitment by the District to address impacts from historic landfilling. Responsibility for any closed or inactive landfill sites can include a wide variety of activities from monitoring and reporting, excavation and waste removal, maintenance of surface cover placed on the site, tree planting and hydroseeding, ensuring site security, and completing routine inspections to identify any areas of improvement.
To date, the District has invested $4.2 million on environmental monitoring/reporting, remediation and maintenance projects of these historical sites. The care of these sites is part of the District’s commitment to environmental stewardship and building a better waste system for Muskoka.
| Planned 2023 remediation activities |
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Through MECP/District staff site inspections and consultant recommendations, a long-term plan was developed to prioritize and address outstanding requirements at various sites under District responsibility. District staff have met with the MECP to discuss and present this path forward resulting in a mutually agreeable approach. Priorities for 2023 are highlighted below: Remediation work will include removing exposed waste, applying cover and grass seed in areas where waste is removed. Port CarlingOn-going remediation work continues at the Port Carling closed site. |
| Brackenrig, Watt, and Ullswater remediation activities – 2022 |
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Exposed waste was removed and cover was maintained at the Watt, Brackenrig, and Ullswater closed landfills, located in the Township of Muskoka Lakes, throughout the summer of 2022. This resulted in numerous tonnes of waste being removed from the site. Once complete, grass seed was applied to the areas where waste was present. Photo Gallery: Brackenrig Watt and Ullswater will appear here on the public site.
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| Finlayson and Draper remediation activities – 2019, 2021 |
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District staff completed a manual clean-up of the Finlayson and the Draper closed landfills, located in Lake of Bays and Bracebridge, respectively, resulting in several truckloads of exposed waste being removed from the sites. Photo Gallery: Finlayson and Draper Clean-up will appear here on the public site.
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| Sparrow Lake – Restoration Activities – 2019, 2020 |
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At the Sparrow Lake closed landfill in Gravenhurst, work was completed in two areas, the eastern and northern sections of the former landfill. Work on the eastern portion included the burial of exposed waste, placement of clean soil materials as final cap, and the application of topsoil and grass seed to the area. In the northern portion, some asphalt waste was removed however, upon determining the volume was much greater than originally expected, the remaining asphalt was buried and appropriate materials were used as a soft cap. Photo Gallery: Sparrow Lake will appear here on the public site.
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| Housey’s Rapids restoration activities – 2019 |
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At the Housey’s Rapids closed landfill in Gravenhurst, grading, final capping, and hydroseeding activities were completed onsite. Additionally, a gravel parking lot was laid for users of the nearby trail and fencing and gating were installed around the parking lot to restrict access to the former waste management site. Photo Gallery: Housey's Rapids will appear here on the public site.
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For more information on the environmental monitoring and remediation projects completed by the District, please see report: PW-6-2023-5 Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Projects – 2023 Update
If you have questions, please contact us at waste@muskoka.on.ca or 705-645-2100.